That Damn Black Hoodie
by ShadowsOnTheMoon
Summary: A daring plan gone horribly wrong. So what else is new?


**Hi all. If you're reading this, thanks for taking the time to check out my work! And if you're reading any of my other stories, don't worry, this one won't get in the way; I'll still update those as often as usual. I've been working with this idea for a while, and I'm excited to finally share it. Shoutout to ****Runawaybaby555**** for help with a couple of details and, more importantly, the name. This will only be a few chapters long, five at the absolute most, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. :)**

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"Han, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Aria spun in a full circle, eyes eagerly scanning the gloom. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but it didn't alleviate the uneasy feeling swirling in her stomach. She shrugged and started moving towards the house again.

"I guess it was -"

The rest of her sentence was lost in a terrified squeak as someone grabbed her shoulders and shoved her against a nearby tree. A similar sound to her right informed her that Hanna was being ambushed too. She struggled against the hands, which dug in even tighter. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for blinding pain. But all that came were words, said in a startlingly familiar husky voice.

"Aria, you need to listen to me. I'm on your side, okay?"

"Spencer?"

Her suspicions were confirmed as the person turned her around and she found herself face-to-face with her best friend, whose features where shadowed by the black hoodie she was wearing. Before Aria could speak Spencer clapped a gloved hand over her mouth.

"I can't explain right now, but I need you to trust me," Spencer said, her voice so low that Aria could barely hear her over the pounding of her own heart. "Do you trust me?"

Aria's eyes flickered up to meet Spencer's, and a hundred thoughts skittered through her head; but she knew from the urgency in Spencer's expression that she had to make her decision quickly, so she went with her gut instinct. Holding Spencer's gaze, she nodded, and instantly felt her friend relax.

"Play along," Spencer muttered, pushing her back around so her face was pressed up against the tree trunk.

Aria felt her hands being pinned behind her back and tied there, and it took all of her self control not to start screaming. But Spencer had said to play along, and she had to trust she knew what she was doing. Spencer yanked her away and pushed her forward. She found herself being marched towards a black-hooded figure who was standing by a dark-colored SUV. She couldn't see their face, but the build suggested male. As they reached him Spencer shoved Aria away and the mystery man took hold of her arm with a vice-like grip, using his other hand to stick a piece of duct tape over her mouth.

Aria shot a pleading look at Spencer, but the other girl was gazing at the house. She turned back to them after a moment, her eyes drifting over Aria and settling on the hooded man.

"Put her in the car," Spencer instructed. "I'll go get the other one."

The hooded guy bundled her into the car, and she landed with a thud against the other occupant. She shared a frightened look with Hanna before craning her neck to see out the window. Spencer was striding into the house, where Emily was undoubtedly waiting for them. God, she hoped Spencer had a brilliant plan.

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The door creaked open and Emily paused at the foot of the stairs. She turned around, expecting to see Hanna or Aria, and was a little taken aback at who was standing before her.

"Spencer," she greeted her hesitantly. "I thought you weren't coming until later."

"Change of plans."

Emily took an involuntary step back as she realized that Spencer was wearing a black hoodie. It was an unspoken rule among the girls that they weren't allowed to wear black hoodies or red coats. So at best Spencer was committing a fashion faux pas, and at worst…

"What do you mean?" Emily felt around behind her for the light switch. She couldn't find it, and Spencer's eyes narrowed as she saw what she was doing.

"Em, listen to me," Spencer said, stepping forward.

The intensity in her voice startled Emily, and she backed up a few more steps. Spencer was acting strange, and after everything that they'd been through that was definite cause for concern. But this was Spencer, and she wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Right?

"Spence, you're scaring me," she admitted with a shaky laugh.

"Sorry." Spencer's eyes darted towards the door and then back to Emily. She seemed nervous, which put Emily more on edge than she already was. "But we need to go."

"Go?" Emily echoed. "Where? Aria and Hanna are -"

"They're already out there," Spencer interrupted.

The words slithered into Emily's brain, wrapping around each other until she couldn't make sense of them. Why were they out there? Why hadn't they come in?

"Please, Emily, there isn't much time," Spencer pressed, checking the door again like she thought somebody was about to burst inside. "I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you." Emily bit her lip, wondering what was going on. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. "But can you at least explain what's going on?"

"I will later," Spencer promised. "But right now I just need you to come with me."

Emily opened her mouth, but snapped it shut again as she saw what Spencer was holding: a length of rope and a roll of duct tape. It didn't take much of an imagination to figure out what she was going to do with those.

"Spencer, what the hell is this?" Emily demanded, but she didn't wait for an answer. The front door made a clicking noise, like somebody was about to open it, and, taking advantage of Spencer's momentary inattention, she turned and started to hurry up the stairs.

She heard footsteps, and before she could process what was happening, Spencer had spun her around and slammed a fist into her face. Emily dropped to the floor, catching flashes of what was happening: Spencer looked shocked, the door flew open, a hooded figure entered the house. And then Emily blacked out.

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"Everything okay?"

Spencer turned toward the voice, and the figure standing in the doorway.

"Fine. Just had a little trouble with this one." Spencer pointed with her foot to the shape on the floor, the limp body of her friend. "Give me a hand?"

The figure came over to her, and together they managed to half-drag, half-carry Emily out of the house. They'd been quiet, so the neighbors wouldn't get suspicious, and Emily's parents weren't home so they had nothing to worry about there. If only it was as easy to silence the screaming of her conscience. They slid Emily into the backseat of the SUV next to Aria, then Spencer slammed the door and climbed into the front passenger seat.

As they pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street, Spencer stared straight ahead and tried to ignore the muffled cries of her friends. After a few minutes she turned her attention to the driver.

"You know where you're going?" she asked.

He nodded, taking a left and then a sharp right, not taking his eyes off the road. She opened her mouth to ask something else, but she sensed he wasn't in the mood to talk. She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes and running through her plan once again. She was risking not only her life but her friends' lives too, and if she couldn't pull this off – well, she didn't even like to think about it.

The drive seemed to drag on forever. Her thoughts clambered over each other in her mind, demanding attention but doing nothing to come up with a solution. Her best friends were tied up in the backseat, and the guy driving the car was someone she only thought she could trust; she couldn't be sure. She was hoping she could do this without his help, without him even knowing, but she couldn't be sure of that either.

Everything was up in the air, and tonight could mean either an end to this chase for Red Coat – or an end to their lives.

"The turn was back there," Spencer said suddenly, noticing the street signs.

"Bloody hell."

The car spun in a u-shape and then skidded down the right lane. Spencer's hand dug into the edge of the seat and she bit her lip to stop from crying out. He wasn't usually this reckless, but the stakes were high tonight. If they were late, Red Coat would not be happy. And although Spencer still didn't know who that mysterious hooded figure was, she did know that to keep her waiting was a very bad idea.

They rolled to a stop outside what looked like an old cabin, the front of it overrun with weeds and the back bordering on the woods.

Spencer turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

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Although she knew she should be listening to the people in the front seat, trying to figure out what they were up to, Hanna couldn't bring herself to focus on them. She couldn't hear anything besides her own and Aria's ragged breathing, and Emily's slightly more relaxed deep breaths. She pushed herself further up the seat, feeling the ropes digging into her wrists. She wasn't sure what had happened. One minute she and Aria were going to Emily's for a movie night, and the next they were being abducted by hooded figures.

One of whom, she had realized with a jolt, was Spencer. Her best friend. Someone she should be able to trust with her whole heart. Yet here she was working with the enemy. Kidnapping them. Wearing that damn black hoodie.

After an unbearably long drive, the car stopped. Spencer and the other A-Team member – Hanna hadn't been able to see their face, although she was confident it was a man – got out of the car, and Hanna tensed up at once. For a second they were out of sight, and in that time they could be doing anything. She didn't like to think about it.

Then the back doors opened, and someone dragged Aria out. Hanna tried to shuffle away, out of reach, but she felt a strong hand wrap around her arm and pull her out. Her legs almost gave way under her, but the same strong hand hauled her upright. She glanced up to see who it was, and found herself looking into Spencer's eyes. Immediately she jerked away, trying to convey all her hurt and anger in her eyes, since she couldn't talk.

Something in Spencer's expression made her hesitate slightly. It was soft, almost apologetic. But then she caught sight of Emily, still passed out in the back seat, and her anger returned. This was probably just some trick. Spencer had probably been playing them from the start. She was certainly smart enough to do that.

After an undignified walk up to a dark and very ominous looking cabin, Hanna was shoved inside and unceremoniously pushed forward. She lost her balance for a second, shooting daggers at Spencer, who refused to meet her eyes. Aria was shoved in beside her, and Emily was half-carried, half-dragged inside and left on the floor.

"Sit down and shut up," Spencer instructed, her voice rougher than Hanna had ever heard it. A chill ran down the blonde's spine; the girl in front of her had never been so unrecognizable, so terrifying.

The man – his face still hidden by his hood – turned and walked out the door, leaving Spencer alone with the girls. For a wild moment Hanna imagined that she'd get a happy ending: Spencer would leave the door open, usher them outside, drive them away from this godforsaken place. But all Spencer did was watch as Aria and Hanna sank to the ground, unable to tear their eyes away from their so-called friend, and then the lanky brunette headed for the door.

She paused, her handle on the knob, and said over her shoulder, "Hang tight, guys. I'll be back."

Before Hanna could determine whether the words were a threat or a promise, Spencer left, closing and locking the door carefully behind her, leaving behind a stunned and terrified silence.

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End file.
